The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) cautioned the government about the dire repercussions of internet shutdowns and a potential ban on virtual private networks (VPNs) just before Saturday, when internet users across Pakistan encountered major issues connecting to WhatsApp.
Downdetector, an outage tracking tool, said that 207 complaints peaked in a single hour, mostly on Saturday at 10 PM. 67% of those impacted said they had trouble sending messages, especially media files, while 16% said they had trouble receiving them.
While there were sporadic issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab saw the most severe disruptions in the Meta-owned messaging service.
Although the precise cause of the disruption was not disclosed, users’ complaints about the sudden WhatsApp outage mostly concerned the inability to transfer media files, prompting internet service providers to come under fire.
Since there was no official statement, some users conjectured that the disruptions were related to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) widely reported demonstration in Islamabad on Sunday.
WhatsApp outages are now commonplace in the nation, especially during important occasions like PTI demonstrations.
These disruptions have always been ascribed by officials to technical issues or damage to underwater cables.
PTI-affiliated accounts launched a campaign on X (previously Twitter) on Saturday, pushing Elon Musk, the owner of X and the CEO of SpaceX, to launch Starlink in Pakistan.
